Countdown to Christmas!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Well almost. Since becoming a knitter, I have started to slowly start planning for Christmas knits well before the date appears on the horizon (by which I mean 4 weeks... oops). But because my birthday is right at the end of November, before that date it's definitely NOT Christmas! I'm heading into London later today to go ice skating as a delayed birthday social. I spotted this ad at an underground station and couldn't resist despite a historical lack of affinity with the ice. I'm about as able on ice as a newborn bambi so if you fancy a laugh, feel free to come along and watch. Amateur gymnastics on ice coming to a rink near you!

Birthday gift stash enhancement

My lovely mum went to Peru for a three week holiday and came back just before my birthday. I asked if she could bring an alpaca back with her and although she couldn't bring back a whole one, she came close! She bought 10 50g balls of luxury DK baby alpaca in cloud grey. So squishy....

I cannot wait to choose a project for this. Interestingly baby alpaca isn't from young alpaca, it's the inner layer of their pelt which keeps them extra warm in the chilly Peruvian mountains. I've heard alpaca has a lot of drape and stretches massively during blocking so will have to be careful when choosing a size. Any tips?

I also received two cakes of 4ply yarn in unknown fiber. Definitely part alpaca but less soft than the grey yarn. It's still soft enough to wear next to the skin.

There's about 150g of each and I'm thinking of a shawl maybe? The yarn doesn't break easily so I could also weave with it. Decisions, decisions...

I have another yarn gift from my boyfriend's lovely mum but that's back in Plymouth. I will add a quick post when I head back to the coast. In the meantime, here is the parcel as it arrived:

Is that the end of it? No no no....

Back in April, yarn dyers started advertising their advent calendars for this year. Despite being ridiculously in advance, I know advent calendars sell out really fast. I hadn't bought a yarn advent before and after researching a few, I pre-ordered a DK advent from For the Love of Yarn. I have a kit from this company for a Stephen West MKAL from last year which I still need to finish. The box arrived a few weeks ago:

I was strong and didn't open any of the individual parcels but I couldn't resist opening the box. It's like a mini sweet shop for yarn. Yum!

And today I could finally open the first bag!

And now, I can safely say - it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Hope you're having a great weekend, Charlotte and Harvey x

Yarnporium Stash

I completely forgot to post my purchases from Yarnporium! So without further ado:

Lay Family Yarn 4 ply in the 4th Earl colourway

The rest of the yarns are all from Debonnaire Yarns. Erica who owns Debonnaire was there on the day. When she spotted me trying to match different blues, she sat next to me on the floor and pulled out a whole spectrum of blues from her stall including from pre-packed mini sets. Despite how busy everything was around us, she took the time to help me choose the perfect yarn for a project. Thank you Erica!

Why blue? Because it's the main colour for my best friend's wedding and I want to knit her a shawl as a physical memory from the day. I'm planning to knit the Iara Shawl by Renée Callahan of East London Knits. It caught my eye because of the detailing between the colour changes in the shawl. Link to Ravelry here.

They all have sparkles! I'm not sure if I have got all the blues I want with the grey yarn as the edging. I may swap the dark blue minis for a lighter colour that matches the wedding colours more closely. The white and grey with speckles of orange yarn is going to be a hat, possibly for a Christmas present.

Did you go to Yarnporium?

Have a great week, Charlotte and Harvey x

Floozy Week

Two more days and then it's the weekend! I'm heading home to see my Mum as we haven't seen each other since I moved in July. I don't think she has found it easy and it will be lovely to catch up. I'm also going back for my favourite cousin's birthday, we're going for karaoke in London - can't wait! Before that however are two hectic days at work with long hours and sitting at home waiting for me is the newly arrived yarn for the Floozy cardigan.

The yarn was technically delivered last week but I was at work so it sat in the Post Office 200m from my house. I had to walk past the closed Post Office for three days in a row knowing my yarn was inside! The picture above is pretty close to the actual colours and I am looking forward to casting on. I had to order new 3mm circular needles to match my gauge which delayed cast on for another 4 days. Those arrived today and soon I can start the Floozy Cardigan. Floozy has been designed by Libby from Truly Myrtle Designs and podcast. She is based in New Zealand and has a great range of designs. She started a knit-along for the cardigan which started on the 17th. For more information she has a podcast episode about the knit-along and advice on fit. If you want to join in, she has a Ravelry group for it here.

Woollinn Stash

Where has the month gone?! I've been busy clearing more things for my move, completing my last hospital placement and getting back into exercise in this sunny weather. In amongst all this busy-ness, I realised I haven't shown you all my yarny purchases from Woollinn!

Just a note: all the yarn was photographed on an unexpectedly grey day, so apologies for slightly muted colours.

1. Bear in Sheep's Clothing 

This was actually my last purchase. I had put both these skeins back on the booth and walked away, smug in being so self controlled. And then returned twenty minutes later hoping they would still be there! Self-control.... Yeah.... I have never used mohair before and it is so soft and smooshy. This is Bear Luxury Halo, 72% mohair and 28% silk in the colourway Romance. The sock yarn is Bear Sturdy, 100% superwash Blue Faced Leicester in the same colourway. After watching a Grocery Girls episode before leaving for Dublin, I really wanted to try knitting one of Jodi's hat designs which uses doubled sock yarn held with mohair to make a really soft and warm hat. Her pattern is here. Bear in Sheep's online shop here.

2. The Fibre Co. from Emily Foulds

The photo above doesn't do justice to the vibrancy of these yarns. The left skein is a deep forest green, the right is a brighter... Hold on a second, I'll get another photo....

That's better! I think the yellow overwhelms the camera which in turn mutes the other two colours but this is a lot closer to the real skeins. These are Cumbria fingering from the Fibre Co. (from left to right) in dark green - Grizedale Forest, yellow - Buttermere and teal - Yew Tree. The colours are inspired by the lakes and valleys of Cumbria and the yarn feels soft but sturdy. I bought this yarn from the Emily Fould stall which is a yarn shop based in the north of England near Lancashire (Link here). With my purchase, I received a free pattern for the Fell Garth Tamdou shawl by Melanie Berg. There were two samples knit in very different colours which swayed me to buy the kit. The two women on the stall were very helpful and patient when I couldn't decide on three colours for the shawl. They took the time to suggest different pairings and despite having a busy stall, made no attempt to rush me. I truly appreciated that and would recommend stopping by their shop if you're ever in the area as I know you will get great customer service and also a friendly welcome.

This is the shawl pattern:

I'm looking forward to casting it on once I've reduced my WIP pile!

3. Dublin Dye

This is 4ply Swing Sock in the colourway Polar Express. Out of all my purchases, this is the only one I don't have a plan for. The colourway goes through a whole spectrum of blues and hints of purple. The subtlety of the different shades is lovely and I don't feel socks would do it justice. One to ponder on.... Link to Dublin Dye here.

4. Babbles Yarns

This yarn was a pleasure to buy for two different reasons. Firstly sock yarn with cotton is something I want to trial for hotter weather and secondly I got to meet Grace! Grace is the dyer and podcaster behind Babbles Yarns. She has a great podcast and is bubbly and full of energy. She is also so friendly and it was a pleasure to meet her in real life and not just through YouTube.

Fan pic! Can't wait for some neon yellow socks this summer. Grace's shop can be found here and her podcast here. I would definitely recommend giving it a listen.

5. Studio Donegal from This is Knit

This is Studio Donegal Darnie 4ply in the colourway 13023 or mustard as I've been calling it. This is a special purchase which you'll know if you read my original Woollinn post (here). My non-knitting Mum likes to use sample knits like a clothes shop and on this occasion, she fell in love with the sample cardigan at the This is Knit stall.

This is the Jaycee cardigan by Isabell Kraemer which can be found on Ravelry (here). This is the first project I will actually do a swatch for instead of winging it as it's for someone else and needs to match the original pattern sizes. The pattern involves a button band and a few other new to me techniques and I'm looking forward to the challenge.


Have a great week everyone x

Unravel 2018 Stash Enhancement

Stash enhancement! A magical phrase for any knitter. Occasionally combined with a hint of guilt, naughty pleasure and always happiness.

Stash enhancement

If you're not interested in stash enhancement, look away now!

I've had two rounds of stash this month. First was from the Great London Yarn Crawl and second was my subscription goody from Knit Now. 
Knit Now gave me two Caron Cakes for signing up for their 6 month subscription:

These two cakes are 350m aran weight of yarn, 20% wool and 80% acrylic. On the left is Funfetti and on the right is Rainbow Sprinkles. I had no idea what to make from these at first! The ball band suggests a scarf.... Yeah no... Does anyone enjoy knitting scarves? Instead there's just enough in each one to make a Flax jumper by Tin Can Knits for the 1-2 year size which will be perfect for my two little cousins. Sorted -  pictures in the near future.

I had a great time at the London Yarn Crawl this year! I bought something from three of the four shops on my route.

From Sharp Works:

I love the soft pastels in this DK weight yarn from lilac to sherbet orange to mint green. I was again thinking of the little people in my family and making mittens. Still undecided though. 

I walked past this a few times. It was in a bowl with a range of dark metallics that shone softly in the light. I was expecting a scratchy yarn but its incredibly soft as its made partly with merino. No idea what to do with this - any suggestions? Its only 50g worth so it might be a good accent to a project.

From Loop:

Some more pastels! These are aran weight and next to them were a lovely mitten pattern (yep mittens again!) by Rachel Atkinson  - Ravelry link here. 

From I Knit:

The colours in the photos don't really match real life. Its a lot brighter and louder for both cakes of yarn and is truly eye-catching. I'm thinking a shawl with both colours for some brightness during winter. Any suggestions would be great. Perhaps the pattern - Girl from the Grocery Store by Joji Locatelli? TBC.

I didn't buy anything from the Handweavers Studio but I have booked a beginners spinning class there in November which I'm really looking forward to! I've tried a drop spindle a few times but would love to try a proper wheel. 

That's all this month! Now to start using some of my stash - any pattern ideas?